We bought this steel sculpture in a gallery in La Conner Washington on the trip and it just recently arrived via UPS. The photo here doesn’t do it justice. The peaks are actually a silvery white, there is deep navy blue water under the trees and the mountains themselves are a greenish brown.  It’s now hanging in our stairway, where we had a huge, blank wall that is nearly impossible to reach without a series of ladders and scaffolds. Mr. Martha and Me got creative with a stepladder and some 2x4s resting on the landing to get up there. I’d rather not remember it, if you don’t mind – I was sure he was going to crash to his death. But it’s up now and we love it because it reminds us of the beauty of the Northwest.

We bought this steel sculpture in a gallery in La Conner Washington on the trip and it just recently arrived via UPS. The photo here doesn’t do it justice. The peaks are actually a silvery white, there is deep navy blue water under the trees and the mountains themselves are a greenish brown.  It’s now … Read more →

Oh, Martha. I should know better. The word “simple” is rarely used appropriately in your magazines. I was sucked in at the idea of “simple” gnocchi. I made gnocchi once a few years ago, for a family party. It took forever, and I wasn’t happy with it. Why did I think this would be different?

It was a crummy day here in Marthaland to begin with. The rider mower was broken again, so Mr. MarthaAndMe was push mowing the lawn, something that makes him (and thus everyone else) cranky. I was coming down with a cold. Teen Martha was in that icky weekend before school starts place. There wasn’t a good vibe to be found in the house. That didn’t stop me though. Gnocchi, why everyone loves gnocchi, I thought. Someone has got to stop me in the future.

It started out simply enough – cook 2 1/2 lb potatoes then peel the skins off and put through a ricer. I don’t have a ricer, so I googled what to do and it just said to mash with a masher then whisk. The whisking part did not work (it all got stuck in the whisk). Cool, then add salt, 1 and 3/4 cup flour and 1 egg. Knead until smooth but not elastic. This actually worked pretty well. Then you’re supposed to cut into 8 pieces and roll each out to a 24 inch long rope. I did this. Then cut it into 1/2 inch pieces. This was harder since the dough was kind of sticky when cut. Then roll it down the back of a fork. Ha! This didn’t work. It would stick to the fork, become odd-shaped, or get no indent at all. Flouring the fork helped, but did not solve it. Drop in boiling water and cook until they float. I did that too.

Making all of them took quite a while and the next morning I had weird muscle soreness in the backs of my arms from this.

I made a sauce of bacon, drippings, salt, pepper, 6 scallions, some Italian herbs and lots of parmesan cheese.

There was just one problem. The gnocchi were really soft. Mushy really. I tried browning them a bit and that made no difference. I usually buy my gnocchi frozen and boil them and they are slightly chewy, which is a texture I really like. I couldn’t get past the mushiness of these. And they didn’t taste any better or different than the ones I buy frozen. So, I vow never to make my own again. It took all afternoon and just made me cranky.

Oh, Martha. I should know better. The word “simple” is rarely used appropriately in your magazines. I was sucked in at the idea of “simple” gnocchi. I made gnocchi once a few years ago, for a family party. It took forever, and I wasn’t happy with it. Why did I think this would be different? … Read more →

Emeril has a recipe for turkey meatloaf in Sept Everyday Food. I haven’t had a lot of success with other people’s meatloaf recipes. I tend to like it the way I make it, but I have to say, Emeril won me over with this one!

1 tsp veg oil
4 oz turkey bacon, chopped
1/2 yellow onion
1 small green pepper,chopped
salt and pepper
1 garlic clove, minced,
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 lb ground turkey
1 1/4 cups chili sauce (sweet) or ketchup

As usual, I cheated a little since I didn’t have evaporated milk, so I just used milk. I also don’t like chili sauce so I used sweet and sour sauce.
You cook the onion and pepper then add garlic. Mix with all other ingredients, using only 2 tbsp of the chili sauce in the mix, placing the rest on top. Bake at 350 for an hour and 10 minutes.

I really liked the oats in it and the sweet and sour sauce was fantastic. The meatloaf was dense and moist and very flavorful. This is definitely a winner. It is falling apart in the photo, but it tastes terrific. It’s even better the next day.

Emeril has a recipe for turkey meatloaf in Sept Everyday Food. I haven’t had a lot of success with other people’s meatloaf recipes. I tend to like it the way I make it, but I have to say, Emeril won me over with this one! 1 tsp veg oil 4 oz turkey bacon, chopped 1/2 … Read more →

The project for next Monday is panna cotta chosen by Megan at Megan’s Cookin’.  Thanks, Megan.

The project for next Monday is panna cotta chosen by Megan at Megan’s Cookin’.  Thanks, Megan.

What could be better than brownies that are almost, sort of, kind of healthy? I chose this week’s project, from Sept Everyday Food.

I cheated in two ways on this recipe, ok I actually cheated many ways. I used sweetened applesauce, since that was what I had. I also forgot to add the baking powder! Eek. I never mix my dry ingredients separately, I melted the chocolate in the microwave, and I forgot to reserve 2 oz of chocolate to put on top, so it all ended up in the brownies.

Despite that, I think I liked these. Actually, the more of them I ate, the more I liked it. The first one tasted a little weird. Dude Martha said he didn’t like it because it tasted like dark chocolate. Teen Martha said it tasted like wine. Mr. MarthaAndMe doesn’t like chocolate (I know, but I married him anyhow). Which left me alone with a pan of brownies. A dangerous situation. Thank goodness they were almost, sort of healthy. The texture is weird and they were very moist – not really cakey and didn’t really get that crunchy, crumbly thing happening that you get on top of brownies or at the edges. It didn’t stop me. Let’s just say I took care of the brownie situation so no one but me could get hurt (I actually froze some for a later chocolate fit).

I think I would probably not make this again though – I would rather have regular brownies given the choice. But it was fun to try.

6 tbsp butter, melted

1/2 cup flour

1/2 whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/4 cups unsweetened applesauce

1 egg

8 oz semisweet chocolate

Use an 8 inch square pan. Mix dry ingredients. Mix sugar, applesauce and egg. Melt butter and 6 oz choc in a double boiler. Stir into sugar mixture. Add flour mixture. Sprinkle remaining 2 oz chocolate on top. Bake at 350 for 40 min.

If I can add a note here about Martha Mondays. Several people have asked how to join. I’ve responded to all of you directly, but never heard back that yes, you’d like your name added to the blog roll and list of days to choose. If you want me to add you, I need to know. Anyone can join, but I just need to know so I can add you to the list.

What could be better than brownies that are almost, sort of, kind of healthy? I chose this week’s project, from Sept Everyday Food. I cheated in two ways on this recipe, ok I actually cheated many ways. I used sweetened applesauce, since that was what I had. I also forgot to add the baking powder! … Read more →

Sorry about the photo for this! I didn’t realize it was bad and only took one. Despite my horrible photography skills, this was a great dish and simple too. Arrange your cauliflower on a greased baking sheet and toss with olive oil. Salt and pepper it. Roast at 450 for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through. Once it reaches the level of doneness you like, push it together in the middle of the sheet and put some cheddar cheese over it. Stick it back in until the cheese melts. Voila.

I am a big fan of roasting veggies. It gives them SO much more flavor. I get really tired of your typical boiled veggies, so I’ve been doing this more and more with different things. This recipe is from Sept Everyday Food, by the way. The cauliflower gets a nice nutty flavor and it didn’t burn (something I always worry about when roasting at such a high temp). And cheese, well, everything is better with cheese, isn’t it?

Sorry about the photo for this! I didn’t realize it was bad and only took one. Despite my horrible photography skills, this was a great dish and simple too. Arrange your cauliflower on a greased baking sheet and toss with olive oil. Salt and pepper it. Roast at 450 for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through. … Read more →

So here I am back from vacation, trying to lose a few pounds and I decide to make cookies. What a fool am I. I was totally craving these Oatmeal cream pies from Sept Everyday Food though. I love oatmeal cookies. And the thought of them as a sandwich cookie with cream in between – well, there was no stopping me.

The cookies were easy to make. I omitted the raisins. You bake until they are set at the edge and soft in the center. Mine all ran together on the baking sheet so I ended up with cookies with somewhat square edges since I had to cut them. I was happy with the cookies (although I would not make them as big as Martha says – they were too big – I would cut the size in half).

On to the cream filling. It’s made with cream cheese and powdered sugar. Not exactly what I had in mind. And I didn’t really care for it unfortunately. I was imagining fluffy creamy filling – more sugary than cheesy. Oh well. The cookies ended up ok, but I sent them off to Mr. MarthaAndMe’s office. I would not make this again unless I came up with a different filling. And then I think I might think of a way to make the cookies thicker and smaller. I’m not going to include the recipe here because honestly, I wouldn’t recommend it. Sorry, Martha.

So here I am back from vacation, trying to lose a few pounds and I decide to make cookies. What a fool am I. I was totally craving these Oatmeal cream pies from Sept Everyday Food though. I love oatmeal cookies. And the thought of them as a sandwich cookie with cream in between – … Read more →

Well guys, the person who was supposed to make the selection for Monday is not responding to my emails, so I guess I’ll step in and make a pick. I’m choosing the whole wheat brownies from the back page of Sept Everyday Food. And if you need the recipe, just let me know. I’ll send it out to all who need it. And yes, I’m taking this person off the list because I’m tired of this happening!

Well guys, the person who was supposed to make the selection for Monday is not responding to my emails, so I guess I’ll step in and make a pick. I’m choosing the whole wheat brownies from the back page of Sept Everyday Food. And if you need the recipe, just let me know. I’ll send … Read more →

After all of our travels, and then a weekend at the lake with my parents, I was ready to settle back in at home and cook some comforting food. Pizza is always a winner here, so I was excited about the mini deep dish pizzas in the muffin tin cooking section of Sept Everyday Food. There’s something about muffin tin cooking that just excites the kid in me. When I got my first kids’ Betty Crocker cookbook, I remember I made muffin tin meatloaf and I thought it was the best thing ever!

This recipe was simple and flexible. Martha says to start with 1/2 lb of pizza dough. The bag I bought at the store was 1 lb 12 oz and I bought wheat. She says to break it into 6 pieces – mine ended up in 18 pieces. Roll each piece out to about 6 inches and then fill the tin with it. Mine were all crazy shaped but it didn’t matter once you put them in the tins. Then you fill them. In some I put about 1 1/2 tbsp of sauce then cheese to top it. In others I put 2 sliced cherry tomatoes, a dollop of goat cheese and some little pieces of mushroom, broccoli and herbs. Another one was pizza sauce and feta cheese and mushrooms. Teen Martha put some shredded chicken in hers. Dude Martha used pepperoni and anchovy paste.

Bake in the oven at 450 for about 11 minutes. One tray of mine took a little longer. Everyone loved making this and eating it. Without me even telling him the name of the recipe, Mr. MarthaAndMe said, “this is like deep-dish pizza.” They weren’t even messy to eat, and Dude Martha and his buddy who was over ate them with their hands.

Major thumbs up on this one – terrific for kids to help with and eat. It was more work than pizza though because you have to roll out each individual piece of dough, but it is nicely customizable for each person, which can be a big bonus when you’re faced with people who have pizza preferences!

After all of our travels, and then a weekend at the lake with my parents, I was ready to settle back in at home and cook some comforting food. Pizza is always a winner here, so I was excited about the mini deep dish pizzas in the muffin tin cooking section of Sept Everyday Food. … Read more →

This is part three of my three part series about our trip to Seattle, Alaska, and Vancouver.  As you all know, shopping is a key component of travel for me. I’m not interested in outlet malls, Caribbean jewelry prices (there were tons of these shops in Alaska), tacky souvenirs (except a select few!), or clothes. Nope. I’m looking for “authentic” types of items that I can bring home, which will keep the trip alive for me, and I think Martha does this also. I also have several collections that I try to add to on each trip – bookmarks, sheep, teacups, baskets, and cheap little magnets.

The shopping on this trip was not fantastic, but it wasn’t horrible. Sitka was a good town for shopping. Seattle wasn’t great. Vancouver was good to me – the Granville Market and Gastown were good spots.

Baskets

I did well on the basket front. The one on the left is from Alaska and is made of smoked grass (and it smells smoky too). The white thing in the middle is carved bone with glass. It has glass beads on the sides. The one on the right is from Vancouver and is made of kelp. It has a barnacle attached to it.  I’m wild about both of these finds! These are exactly the kind of things I hope to find on our trips.

Sheep!

I did not expect to find a sheep on this trip – they aren’t exactly your typical Pacific NW or Alaskan animal! This sheepie is from Vancouver and what makes it incredibly special is that its face is made from a crossword puzzle (and I love doing crosswords), so it combines two things I love. It’s totally unique and fits well into my “flock.”

Food

Another thing I love to bring home from trips is food that I can experiment with at a later date, which will remind me of the trip. On the right is a barley bannock mix, something settlers used to make in British Columbia. On the right is birch syrup, which is supposed to be similar to maple, but is more savory. It came with a few recipes, so I’ll be trying that out.  I’ll also have a freezer full of salmon, from Mr. MarthaAndMe’s and Dude Martha’s fishing trip.

the vase

I have too many vases, but that doesn’t stop me from hauling more home. I found this one in the museum store for the Museum of Northwest Art in La Conner Washington. There are little gold dots on it which you can’t see very well here.  I love the design on this and it’s very different from other glass pieces I own, so it will be an interesting addition to my collection. It’s also purple which is a departure for me, but a fun one, so I know I will enjoy owning this.

Globe

This item is from Made in Washington, the very first shop I went into on our trip, at Pike Place Market. This is made from local, reclaimed glass and shells discarded by the fishing industry. The glass also has some ash from Mt. St. Helens in it (which erupted when I was a kid). The inside of the globe contains sand and the aforementioned shells. I love, love, love this piece. And this proves one my cardinal rules of shopping – when you see something you like, buy it. Don’t dink around thinking you will see it elsewhere for less or something similar that is better. I never saw anything like this anywhere else. Teen Martha almost got burned by ignoring this rule – she did not buy a jade bracelet she saw in Alaska and then we hunted all over Vancouver looking for it – and finally found one!

Birch box

This birch box is from a Russian store in Sitka, Alaska, which used to be the Russian settlement capital. It’s made of Siberian birch. Not exactly Alaskan, but I liked it so I bought it.

The bear

Drumroll, please. This is my most expensive and most exciting purchase. Jade is the state gemstone of Alaska. On our ship, they had these jade bears and I loved them. But I didn’t buy them, thinking I would find something more authentic or cheaper on shore (this again proves my shopping rule mentioned above!). I looked everywhere and never saw one with the pink salmon in its mouth AND all the ones I saw on shore were twice as much. So I ended up buying this onboard the ship and it is a special memento of the trip for me.

Paintings

Something else I’ve been buying on trips are watercolor prints of the area. The top one is from Seattle and has a cruise ship in it. The bottom one is from Sitka and shows a glacier in the distance. I have a stack of these now from different places and need to get serious about framing them and hanging them somewhere.

Leaves and Pen

Next up is a tacky penwith gold flakes in it I bought to remember our gold panning trip. The leaves are made from real leaves and will join the rest of my leaf collection on my fall tree that stands on my mantel.  They aren’t quite as bright as they appear in this photo!

soaps

Lately, I’ve been buying local soaps on our trips that have a scent that reminds me of the area. I like to use bars of soap in the shower and it’s like taking a little vacation when I use one reminiscent of a trip. The tube is devil’s claw lip balm which I haven’t tried yet.

In a Jam

I have a problem. Wherever we go, I end up hauling home jams and jellies. I can’t help myself. I bought these from two little Mennonite girls who were selling them on the sidewalk in Sitka. They had on their dresses, braids and bare feet and talked to me about picking the berries and helping make the jams. How could I not buy them? They have 10 children in their family. The flavors include fireweed and salmonberry, which I can’t wait to try.

Bookmarks

I have a huge collection of bookmarks. They are an inexpensive and light weight item to bring home, so I tend to buy too many. The top one has a polar bear on it. The long one is leather and the bottom one is copper. I make groupings of my bookmarks and frame them and hang them on the walls of my office.  I’ll be combining these with the ones from last summer’s trip and hanging them soon hopefully.

This photo shows the Alaskan sourdough starter I bought, as well as my tacky magnets. I try to buy one in each city or region we visit and they go on the front of my file cabinet and make me happy when I see them. The ship ornament is our ship and is for Dude Martha’s vehicle Christmas ornament collection.

I also bought this cookbook, Fishes and Dishes, in Sitka and have not read it yet.

The final purchase has not arrived yet and it a metal sculpture that hangs on a wall and has pine trees, mountains and glaciers. It’s being shipped home and hasn’t arrived yet. I got that in La Conner Washington also.

The kids bought a few things. They each got sweatshirts. Dude Martha got a walrus tooth and a card with the different minerals from Alaska. He also bought an inukshuk and a wallet make from recycled tires.

This is part three of my three part series about our trip to Seattle, Alaska, and Vancouver.  As you all know, shopping is a key component of travel for me. I’m not interested in outlet malls, Caribbean jewelry prices (there were tons of these shops in Alaska), tacky souvenirs (except a select few!), or clothes. … Read more →